Tar Heels look to rebound versus Wolfpack
by Sharon Thorsland
It’s rivalry week in college football, and for North Carolina that means a showdown with NC State. It’s been a tough week for the Tar Heels, who lost to Boston College on Saturday then learned on Tuesday that coach Mack Brown was being fired. No doubt the Heels want to win for Brown in his swan song, as they host the Wolfpack on Saturday. State is having its own issues this season – after coming into the year with high expectations, the Wolfpack got blown out at Tennessee in week two and things went downhill from there. They’re coming off a one-point loss to Georgia Tech that dropped them to 5-6 on the year, meaning they need a win to become bowl eligible. Kick-off is set for 3:30 at Kenan Stadium.
State has had musical quarterbacks this season, as starter Grayson McCall retired from football after suffering a concussion in the loss to Wake Forest. True freshman CJ Bailey has been solid since taking the reins, throwing for 1,941 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And he can make plays with his feet, rushing for 201 yards and five more scores. Bailey’s favorite receiver is Kevin Concepcion, who leads the team with 50 catches, five of them touchdowns. Tight end Justin Joly has picked up 576 yards and three scores The Wolfpack has a three-headed monster at running back, with Jordan Waters, Kendrick Raphael and freshman Hollywood Smothers (love the name!) combining for 1,130 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s back new for UNC, which has had all sorts of trouble defending run-heavy offenses this season. .
UNC also likes to run the ball and they’ve got one of the best backs in the country in Omarion Hampton, who ranks third in the nation with 1,475 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the season.
Both of these teams might be struggling but they will no doubt be up for this game. The Wolfpack has won three straight in the series, including a double overtime thriller in Chapel Hill two years ago. The Tar Heels want to end that skid and make sure their rival has no chance at making a bowl game. They’d also like to end Mack Brown’s tenure in Chapel Hill with a win. I say they get it done – go Tar Heels!
